Cootamundra Wattle
BUSH INVADER
Acacia baileyana
family: MIMOSACEAE (wattle family)
Description
- A small evergreen fast growing tree or large shrub to 10m with drooping branches. Originates from stony hill country in the Cootamundra - Wagga Wagga area. Often mistaken for a local wattle. Formerly grown for stockfeed on farms, where it is now called 'Coota-bloody-mongrel' Wattle.
- Leaves are fern like (bipinnate), silvery grey-blue, with up to 24 pairs of tiny leaflets, 6 - 8mm long
- Bark is smooth and brown, stems are silvery grey, smooth, becoming brown with age, and have a waxy bloom; branchlets have a waxy coating.
- Produces prolific clusters of bright golden yellow fragrant fluffy balls to 8mm in diameter, winter to early spring.
- Huge numbers of brown to black seeds are produced in flattened pods, blue-grey becoming red-brown. Seeds are long lived in the soil, waiting for the right conditions for germination.
- Cootamundra Wattles are prone to infestation by fungal galls, are mostly shallow rooted, and may blow over in high winds.
Dispersal
Seeds are spread by ants, wind, dumping, water, and contaminated soil. They germinate readily, and massively after fire or disturbance. Cootamundra Wattle is commonly available in nurseries, and has been widely planted in gardens and along roadsides.
Impact on Bushland
Cootamundra Wattle is a hardy tree which tolerates salt and frost, grows in partial shade to full sun on a range of soil types, and is drought tolerant when established. It invades heathland, woodland, grassland, dry sclerophyll forest and the banks of watercourses. It is moving into intact bushland, displacing local wattles, and forming dense stands that shade out other native plants. It also fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it unsuitable for the germination of many native plants.
Distribution
Found throughout the Blue Mountains, but more common in drier areas.
Alternative Planting
Native Plants
Replace with local wattles:
Sydney Golden Wattle (Acacia longifolia), Sunshine Wattle (A. terminalis), Blunt-leaf Wattle (A. obtusifolia), or Cedar Wattle (Acacia elata).
Coast Myall (A. binervia) and Sweet Scented Wattle (A. suaveolens) would also be good substitutes in the Lower Mountains.
Exotic alternatives:
Tree-in-a-hurry (Virgilia oroboides) LM
Camellias
ornamental plums, cherries and crabapples (Prunus and Malus spp)
Golden Chain Tree (Laburnum 'Vossii')
Control
Cut down mature plants, hand pull seedlings. Cut and paint younger plants. Dispose of ripe seeds carefully. Follow up of seedling regrowth is essential. Avoid burning large infestations. BMCC does not require an application under the Tree Preservation Order for the removal of Cootamundra Wattle.
Cootamundra Wattle threatens our most iconic bushland.
Cootamundra Wattle is a fast growing small tree to ten metres.
Cootamundra Wattle produces clusters of bright golden yellow fluffy flowers.
Huge numbers of seeds are produced in flattened pods.
